The name used on a Bluetooth device aboard a United Airlines flight caused a major security issue as the plane was turned around mid-flight and passengers had to evacuate.
The four-letter word affected the United Flight 236 bound for Spain on Saturday, which returned to Newark Liberty International Airport after 90 minutes into the trip, making the turnaround over the Atlantic Ocean following a Bluetooth device onboard showing up with the word “bomb.”
“United flight 236 from Newark to Palma De Mallorca, Spain, safely returned to Newark to address a potential security concern,” the airline said in a statement. “The flight continued to Palma De Mallorca with a new crew.”
Diverting back to Newark due to a security issue
Passengers have been told to turn their Bluetooth off on their phones 🤷🏻♂️@AirNavRadar
Track the flight here 👉 https://t.co/h1rzc8bNgF https://t.co/z980HNOuZQ
— Flight Emergency (@FlightEmergency) May 31, 2026
Flight attendants reportedly instructed passengers to turn off their Bluetooth connections while the plane was in the air.
“The crew issued multiple increasingly tense announcements, stating that the directive came straight from United’s corporate headquarters in Chicago. Crew members warned that if the active Bluetooth signals were not disabled, the plane would be forced to turn around,” AirLive.net reported.
“They repeated the instruction multiple times, eventually giving a final ‘one-minute warning,’” one passenger told the outlet. “They said an individual has done something with Bluetooth that is threatening to the safety of the flight.”
Despite warnings, at least two Bluetooth devices remained active, forcing the pilots to decide to turn around, with one of the devices’ names including the word “bomb,” which could be seen by other passengers using smartphones, laptops, and other devices.
“While cruising at 32,000 feet over the Atlantic Ocean, the pilots made the definitive call to abort the route. They declared an emergency by inputting a ‘squawk 7700’ transponder code (signaling a general emergency to air traffic control) and were quickly vectored back toward New York,” AirLive reported. “LiveATC.net audio archives from the Newark ramp and company frequencies later confirmed that a passenger (reported to be a 16-year-old boy) had customized the discoverable network name of his personal Bluetooth speaker to read ‘BOMB.'”
UA236: The “Bluetooth Flight”
Overnight, United Airlines Boeing 767-400ER (N67052) from Newark to Palma de Mallorca, Spain squawked 7700 about 1 hour into the flight and turned back after a suspected bomb threat onboard.
A 16-year-old boy passenger reportedly renamed a… pic.twitter.com/uFqetQibp1
— Turbine Traveller (@Turbinetraveler) May 31, 2026
Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers had to rescreen passengers after airport police and federal agents swept through the plane. The passengers were reportedly “driven around the tarmac for roughly an hour” while the security measures were taken, and they were allowed to board a replacement flight to their destination.
“United Airlines has not yet released an official statement regarding potential criminal charges or lifetime bans for the teenager involved,” according to AirLive.
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Originally from New York, Powers graduated from New York University and eventually made her way to sunny South Florida. Powers also contributes to BizPac Review.
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